video; un: mogget

[themogget]

[There is a cat on the screen. A white cat wearing a red collar sporting a small silver bell and a green, tear-drop shaped pendant. He looks at the communication device for several moments with a pair of sharp, vivid green eyes.

Then the cat speaks.]

Ah, good, it's working.

[The cat's voice sounds... more or less as you might expect a cat to sound. He doesn't have a human voice, but rather the various sounds a feline might make are twisted around into entirely coherent words. He shifts in place, adjusting the position of his small white paws.]

I thought it best to get this out of the way as quickly as possible, having no wish to spend another year explaining that I am not someone's familiar. [His ears flick back momentarily.]

Nor am I a human choosing to look like this, or a simple housecat. Do not treat me as such. [The talking part probably gave that last bit away, but he's met a lot of stupid people. Mogget pauses here, and lets out a quiet sigh.

He ends the communication there, though one might hear a mutter of '--don't know why I bother' just before it shuts off.]

Comments

[prontissimo]

Nah, nah, nah. I just wanna take photographs and try all the weird new human stuff and maybe learn to make fireworks. Y'know, — play around.

[ He's nonchalant, but then casts a wary glance, feeling he needs to puff himself up a bit, though, ever having something to prove. ]

...But if someone tries to fight me, or hurt someone I like, I'd fight them.

[themogget]

[The cat blinks slowly.]

That would make you no different to anyone else here, I expect.

[He shifts his paws, crossing one front leg over the other and slowly flexing his claws out and then back in.]

But I'm curious - you seem to want to make yourself seem frightening. Why?

[prontissimo]

[ The question catches Alberto off-guard, and he shifts his eyes away, glancing to the side in thought... He'd never considered himself this way. But as soon as he's told so, his mind is flashing backwards, first to his most shameful moment, trying to scare Giulia away by revealing his true self, in some horridly petty and jealous attempt to keep Luca by his side; then to every time he'd taunted Ercole, even as the bully's goons invariably took hold of Alberto and punched him in the gut, to which he did nothing to protect himself; every time he'd forced Luca into doing something his best friend was clearly terrified of; every time he told that little voice in the back of his head that spoke good cautious sense "Silenzio," to convince himself he's fearless, a force to be reckoned with, even without anyone around to prove himself to... Was it frightening? He never seems to have succeeded in frightening anyone like that — and the times he had frightened people... had been very much to his detriment. A scowl tugs his face as these thoughts rush by in a flash, and he responds with a steelier tone to his voice than has been heard thus far — indeed, always something to prove. ]

...I don't wanna be frightening. I don't wanna scare anybody. I just wanna be strong. And have fun.

[ To him, after years all by himself in all but total isolation, the two ideals have strangely become inseparable. ]

[themogget]

Then I don't think you're going to have a problem here.

[But he's very interesting... and Mogget will be keeping an eye on him.]

So stop worrying so much.

[prontissimo]

As long as no one's hunting sea monsters here, then I'm not worried...~

[ There's an airy, dismissive tone that comes along with his shrug, like he's shaking himself of the worry itself. He's certainly an odd boy, who lets much more information slip than he often means to. But that just makes him all the more interesting, perhaps. ]

[themogget]

Only the ones causing problems, I expect. Sinking ships, eating swimmers, that kind of thing.

[He browses the quest board from time to time and hasn't seen anything about any sea monsters, but who knows?]

You're not planning to cause those kinds of problems are you?

[prontissimo]

Wha—? No, of course not! I’m living above the surface anyway — everything good is above the surface. I don’t care about that stuff. Besides— I met the sea monsters here. They’re weird. And tried to curse me to trap me down there.

[ Alberto, that’s not exactly how it happened and you know it. They encouraged you to leave so that wouldn’t happen. An important difference, probably? ]

[themogget]

Is that so? Funny, I didn't hear anyone else complaining about that.

[Could it be that this boy just got a bit too close to things that he shouldn't have been sticking his nose into? Mogget really couldn't say.]

But I do hope you took that as a warning.

[prontissimo]

Uh, yeah — a warning not to go back! I just wanted to see their village and they wouldn’t let me in! Even when I told them I was looking for my friend!

[ Which was, truthfully, halfway a lie. They probably could tell that, Alberto. ]

[themogget]

Have you considered they could tell you were lying?

[Mogget isn't a mind-reader, but that's an old excuse.]

I'm sure it's not the first time they've heard that from someone who 'just wanted to see'.

[prontissimo]

Eh… I did have some weird cursed human kid with me… She didn’t wanna see the sea monster village as much as I did. Maybe if I’d been alone they would’ve believed me. Although, they did kinda look at me weird when I was asking about my friend… I don’t really look anything like them. Cuz I wasn’t cursed, I was fine! The human girl was the one who was cursed to be able to be underwater, I guess, cuz she looked all weird and half-human-y like those sea monsters did. Not like normal sea monsters in my world…

[ He rolls his eyes, but pauses, glancing to the camera as a thought strikes him. ]

Actually, though— I wasn’t totally lying to them. I am looking for my friend. Another sea monster. Do you know a kid named Luca?

[themogget]

Luca...

[He does think about it genuinely, if only because Alberto is interesting to him and if there's another one like him, perhaps he would also be interesting. But... nothing comes to mind. Mogget's ears flick slightly and he gives a small shake of his tiny head.]

No. I haven't heard of anyone by that name here, child or not.

[prontissimo]

Well, keep an eye out for him, will ya? Luca Paguro. He's short, kinda shrimpy, wavy brown hair, round face, big brown eyes — like a fish, but cuter.

[ He shifts the camera to what's clearly the wall above his bed, and shows a picture... o-obviously Alberto's own handiwork, somehow, just from looking at it after having talked to the boy... ]

He looks sort of like this.

[themogget]

... Truly a work of art.

[Mogget sighs, closing his eyes for a few seconds.]

Very well. I will keep an eye out for your friend. Is he as prone to dramatics as you are?

[prontissimo]

Hah! No! Not at all. He's not dramatic at all, haha. Luca's a good kid~ Very nice, super smart, kind of nervous... We're pretty different, actually, heh.

[themogget]

Hm. Good friends often are.

[Not always, but often. Mogget himself is often drawn to people of opposing personality to his own.]

If he isn't here now, there's a possibility that he might show up later.

[prontissimo]

Yeah, no one's heard of him so far, but I mean— if I'm here, then... he'll probably show up here soon, too! I can't wait~! We wanted to see the whole world together, so now we'll get to see another world together...!

[ Hopeful. Optimistic. Unrealistic. But a bubble the child clearly does not want popped. ]

[themogget]

Hmm.

[Mogget does not, at this time, attempt to break said bubble.]

It's possible. I've seen it happen before. [Something else to consider - that perhaps for some, one person from a world being present increases the likelihood that others will follow.]

If I see him, I'll send him in your direction.

[prontissimo]

Great! Thanks— Not-Cat...! Oh, uh— What's your name again?

[themogget]

Mogget.

[If it's forgotten, he won't take it too personally. But he may also not give it again.]

And you're welcome.

[prontissimo]

Mogget. Say, uh— Mogget...

[ It's admittedly a bit of a funny-sounding name to him. But he's scarcely heard any names that weren't popular with Italian sea monsters, after all. He mostly repeats it for memory and emphasis, though, as another thought strikes him. ]

If you're already going to look for Luca, um— if you meet this huge human guy... Massimo... Let me know if you run into him, too, okay? He's probably the biggest human ever, bushy mustache, dark hair, kinda scary, really quiet... Only one arm... Oh, uh— and a white cat with a black arm and a black mustache, too. They kinda match. Machiavelli. I'm looking for them, too.

[themogget]

[Mogget blinks slowly in response to the request.]

I'm not a detective service.

[But then he sighs.]

But, fine. If I see any of these friends of yours I'll let you know.

[prontissimo]

[ Alberto narrows his eyes slightly, flatter in his tone. ]

Okay, well— who’re you looking for? I’m sure you’ve got people from home like that, right? So I can can keep an eye out, too.

[themogget]

Me? I'm not looking for anybody.

[Mogget doesn't have friends. At least, he doesn't have friends here and he isn't going to get his hopes up in thinking anyone he happened to like from the previous world he occupied might show up.]

A girl called Sabriel might ask for me if she ever appears, but I don't care to know if she's here.

[prontissimo]

Sabriel. What, is she, like— your enemy or something?

[ He raises a brow curiously, frowning incredulously. ]

If you meet a jerk named Ercole, same story — I doubt he'll be asking about me, but, uh... Stay clear, just cuz, y'know— he's a jerk.

[ That is to say, he's not dangerous. Just aggravating. ]